6 easy ways to add texture to your pad

Posted on April 14 2014

Turns out the week I thought I was having isn’t quite the week Iâm actually having. Gem and I were off to Hong Kong in a few weeks but I got the dates wrong, completely and utterly wrong – turns out we need to go this Friday. All my Easter plans, pottering, gardening, relaxing, cooking la la la – out the window. So I’m in worry mode – leaving the two M’s and G (not nice), trying to work through deadlines I thought I had two weeks to clear but now have four days not good. Plus the paint launches in store this week, as do some new deliveries – I won’t bore you with it all. Needless to say itâs a huge week!

However that is my problem as they say and not yours Â so lets talk interiors (oh and if anyone knows any cool interiors stores to check out in Hong Kong do let me know, neither Gem or I have been before and we have one day free to potter)! So lets talk texture. Texture is one of the most important components in the decorating puzzle. You can never overdose on it. You will never push it so far that a room looks mad, or crazy unlike pattern for example. With pattern you totally have to pull back and rein it in, Â with texture no such worries. The reason for adding texture â how long do you have? It enlivens spaces, it enhances them making them feel magical. If you donât have enough texture going on chances are your interiors could Â feel flat and sterile.

You can go big as I’ve done withÂ whole walls either wallpapered or clad in wood, but you totally don’t need to do so. Below are some quick tips that add intrigue and depth and will turn your space around. I should add that when you add texture you have to make sure that the whole room gets a dose of it not just one area otherwise it will not feel balanced.

Lighting. Lighting is a game changer it adds depth, texture, character, ambience the trick is to not eliminate shadows (shadows add intrigue). You will need to have enough lighting to create little pools of light all around the room, do that and you’re halfway there to nailing texture!

Flowers and plants add a subtle layer of texture and dimension the trick as always is to mix up the textures. You might have a plant with glossy leaves on one table, feathery ferns on another. You might have fat headed peonies sitting next to little cornflowers its the contrast of the textures that bring rooms alive.

Accessories. If you can mix old with new, modern with trad, masculine with feminine then again you’ve pretty much nailed it. If everything is super glam or if everything is rustic it can feel a little one-dimensional. Itâs why we aim to juxtapose as many different textures as possible – do that and magic happens.

Rugs are another game changer. Not only defining a space, but cozying it up. Again you want contrast Â so on smootly skimmed concrete floors I’ve got slubby Moroccan rugs not flat weaves because although it wouldnât look wrong it wouldnât feel as amazing as something far more sumptuous Â and squishy looking.

Wall Decor. Paintings add texture, mirrors add texture as do wall sconcesÂ etc.Â by giving your walls a totally different dimension, lifting them from being a flat surface into something intriguing.

Mix up soft furnishings. Lets say you have a woollen cushion on your sofa, well instead of going for another one the same (so boring) add a different texture like leatherÂ or aÂ velvetÂ orÂ silk cushion.Â Itâs the interplay of these different textures, Â slubby with smooth that will bring these spaces alive.

An example below which is extreme but it showcases my point beautifully – you can never overdose on texture. You can combine and keep combining and your space will never feel over the top!